Friday, December 23, 2016

Jeff Mershon has lived most of his years in the Corbett community. He is one of the few that can say, "Yes, that road IS named after my family!" Jeff's home is on land that was purchased by his grandfather from the founder of the community, Mr. Corbett himself! His grandfather, George Mershon, built the home himself. Jeff's mom and dad had four children in less than four years and raised their family in the home. Jeff has three sisters and is the youngest of the siblings. As a youth, Jeff was expected to work hard both on the property as well as in the family hardware store. Jeff's father had arthritis and traveled a great deal for his job. Purchasing the hardware store was an opportunity for change. Jeff graduated from Corbett High and went on to Mt. Hood Community College to earn an Assoc. degree in Automotive Technology. He then went on to get a job at Ger-Brock in Portland. Jeff married in 1984. He and Marcia lived in the Mt. Tabor area of Portland and had both a son and daughter together. They later divorced. Jeff's parents were getting older and wanted to have Jeff come live with them. Jeff moved back to the Corbett family home and continued to help with the hardware store as well as work for DHL, an overnight air freight company. The store was eventually sold to a local resident and both his parents passed on in 2014. Jeff began working at Mt. Hood Meadows in the vehicle shop after leaving DHL. He met and fell in love with a ski instructor. He and Cynthia "Rock" married in 2000 and are raising daughter Sydney in the Corbett home Jeff was raised in. For the past six years, Jeff has been driving a school bus for the Corbett School District. Although struggling with a bad back, Jeff remains friendly and optimistic, engaging with all those that cross his path. Have a history question about the community? Jeff just might be the one to ask!

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Kasey Denson was born in Portland, Oregon. His mom and dad adopted him at the age of two and brought him home to three brothers and four sisters. Kasey was the youngest child in the family. Kasey attended Corbett Schools from K-12, loving that he had several friends and knew all of his classmates since class size was so small. Kasey played the trumpet in the grade school band and also played baseball and basketball in grade school. Family vacations were always a highlight for Kasey and his favorite was a trip to Mt. Rushmore. After graduation from Corbett, Kasey tried to enroll in the Army but it did not work out, so he began writing a letter to war veterans to thank them for their service. Many wrote back and he still keeps in touch with many of them. Kasey got a job at the Portland Airport, working for Smart Cart, but it was not something that he enjoyed. He applied to the Corbett School District as a custodian. It started as part-time and then became full-time work for him last year. It seems to be a great fit! Last month Kasey was in the gym cleaning as the volunteer Corbett Fire Dept. guys were playing hoops. They left and a short time later, Kasey smelled smoke. He ran to get another custodian and he called 911. There was a fire in Mark Wilson's office. The Fire Dept. came back with their gear and because of Kasey, was able to save a possible loss of the office and more! The walkie talkie battery had overheated and caught some paper files on fire.Kasey has discovered his birth father as a result of some internet research and recently also found a half sister. Kasey enjoys playing video games and also enjoys walking all over Corbett. He is living withing his folks in his childhood home and loves being able to work in the school he enjoyed for so many years.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Before Zachary Goude was born, three generations of Goude men were in the logging business. Zach was born six years after his sister and decided to take a different path for himself. Born and then raised in Coos Bay, he was an outgoing child who loved everything there was about the great outdoors. For a short time, his family moved to San Diego, CA., but it was "not a good fit" for them. They came back to Coos Bay. Zach joined Cub Scouts and stayed on course to become an Eagle Scout. He started playing football at an early age and stayed the course to become an All-State offensive lineman, playing center. He was also involved in student government, and was the student body president his senior year. After graduation, he went to a local community college for a year. He then married his high school sweetheart, Rachelle. Together they headed to Eastern Oregon Univ. in La Grande. Both were determined to become teachers. Rachelle realized her strengths in business and switched gears to major in Business and Economics. Zach stayed the course to graduate with a degree in Physics. After college graduation, they both moved to Portland. He then went on to get his master's degree in Physics at Portland State Univ. while Rachelle went to work for Wells Fargo Bank. They have two sons, Isaiah 8 and Gabriel,4. Once Zach got his master's degree, he worked for the Public Health Dept. doing radiation regulation. He was not expecting to take this side course, but said it was great to learn what he did. After three years, he went to Concordia Univ. to get his teaching license. In 2010 he was a student teacher for Phil Pearson at Corbett High School. He was later hired on full-time as a high school teacher at Corbett. He now teaches AP Physics I, AP Physics C, Robotics, AP Computer Science Principles and he helps students with an independent study of AP Chemistry. Currently, Zach and Rachelle live in Portland with their sons and dog Riley. They love to travel and be outdoors whenever possible. Amateur bicycling is a passion for Zach, as he enters numerous local road races each year. He also loves to create and build things with his 3D printer.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Angela Davis grew up in Gresham, Oregon. She lived her entire childhood in the same home with her parents and older brother. Her folks are still married, but have since moved to the Oregon Coast. Angela was very outgoing as a youth, involved in numerous activities. Angela played both basketball and volleyball, was in the marching band and played flute in the concert band at Centennial High School. She also was heavily involved in student government. School came easy and Angela was a strong student. She was awarded a full-ride volleyball scholarship to Boise State Univ. after graduation. Her junior year at BSU, Angela injured her knee in the volleyball season and went home to rehab. During her time at BSU, she had met a football player named Brian Davis. He was older and from Pocatello, Idaho. When Angela went back home to Gresham for rehab, Brian drove up to Gresham and proposed. They married in August, 1995. Angela began her career as a volleyball coach at Centennial High School and also worked at Cascade Athletic Club. Once the babies started coming, Angela "just" coached volleyball in addition to taking care of the children. Claire was born in 1998, Austin in 1999, Grace in 2004 and Zane in 2006. In 2000, Angela moved to Corbett High School as an assistant volleyball coach. In 2009, she became the head coach for the Corbett Varsity team. Always loving school and having a strong desire to both coach and teach, she went back to college to finish her degree. Angela graduated in May 2015 from Concordia Univ. with a B.A. in Education with an endorsement in Language Arts. In the Fall of 2015 she was hired by Corbett High School to teach Sophomore English. She is currently attending Concordia Univ. online to earn her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Teaching, coaching and parenting are incredible opportunities for Angela. She does not take lightly the responsibility to instruct and encourage others. A favorite motto is "Hold the vision and respect the process." She is well aware that the process can be just as important as the success achieved. Angela and her family currently live in Corbett and have no plans of moving anytime soon!

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Mark Wilson is a man of MANY talents. Growing up in Florence, Oregon, many of his family members across the generations are/were commercial fishermen. Mark's father taught him a great deal about both fishing and hunting. His father is still living in Salem, but both his mom and sister have passed. Growing up, Mark enjoyed not only hunting and fishing but also music, art and history. Mark graduated high school from Myrtle Point. After graduation, Mark moved to Reedsport, OR. to work in the plywood industry. He married at age 21 and had two daughters. When his wife passed, his daughters were just seven and eight years old. Mark took on full-time parenting and did everything he could to hold everything together. Mark married for a second time for a total of five years. No children. Mark played in several bands over the years. His specialty is bass guitar. When he was playing at the Tippy Canoe one night, he struck up a conversation with the bartender. The rest is history! Patti and Mark have now been married 28 years and have 11 grandchildren together. They currently live in Corbett after a brief five year move to Hawaii. Mark was originally hired in 1989 at the Corbett School District in the maintenance department. He worked under local resident, Clint Davis. Mark came back from Hawaii to be near the grand kids. He is now the head of the maintenance dept. at the Corbett School District. He makes sure that all buildings have systems in working order, oversees all the janitors and the groundskeeper. The State of Oregon also has a list of compliance requirements that Mark oversees for running all the buildings. He loves to be a part of the solution, trying always to improve upon any problems that come up. He says he enjoys keeping things in working order and seeing that the teachers and students have what they need to best thrive in the school environment. In his free time, Mark and Patti raise St. Barnard puppies and also have a mini Doxie of their own. Mark still loves to play his guitar, fish on the Columbia River in his boat and be with Patti.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Although John Leamy was born in Vancouver, WA., his family moved to Corbett when he was one year, one month and one day old! John is the youngest of four sons born to his parents. John attended Corbett schools his entire childhood, graduating in 1970 from the high school. John said his childhood was pretty much just school and the farm. Owning 160 acres, the family raised their own food. They had fruit trees, a vegetable garden, beef and chickens. They also fished locally, grew their own hay and were on a spring for their water source. John's mom delivered four boys in five years, so he was never lonely or bored living on the big farm. They were regular attenders of Corbett Christian Church and knew many of the local families. He remembers needing to "walk out" one mile just to catch the Corbett school bus. He also remembers Corbett High School having a smoking room in the basement of the school for teachers and students to smoke in! John attended Multnomah Bible College for one year after graduation because he was interested in becoming a pastor. He changed his mind and transferred to Mt. Hood Comm. College to earn a degree in Business Administration. During this time he met his girlfriend's best friend. John ended up marrying Donna six years later! She was a student at Lewis and Clark College and wanted to wait for marriage until she had finished her degree. Once married, they moved to Sandy, then later, to Portland. They eventually moved back to Corbett in 1979. John began working at Menucha and was in charge of the food service there for eight years. Son Matt was born in 1980 and daughter Casey came along in 1982. Several other jobs came along after his time at Menucha. At one point, John sold real estate for 14 years. He currently is working at the family print shop in Troutdale with son Matt and is also a bus driver for Corbett. Matt's degree is in graphic design, so Leamy Printing and Design is something they do together. John started driving a bus for Corbett schools six years ago. He started as a sub and then grew into being a regular driver. He loves it! Now he also drives the bus for sporting events and on overnight trips with the students and teachers. John said he is continuously amazed at how friendly and polite the Corbett kids are. Although he and Donna have lived in Troutdale for many years, he will always consider Corbett his home.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Cory Baker was born in West Virginia and was adopted two weeks later by a family in Gresham, Oregon. Cory grew up in a family of three children with an older sister and a younger brother. Cory's birth name was Steven and his parents decided to name him Cory. He grew up loving sports and played soccer, baseball, basketball and ran track. He loved to be active and had great success in many sports that he participated in. After graduating from Gresham High School, he went on to attend both Ptld. Community College and Mt. Hood Community College, with a focus on General Studies. He also worked as a carpenter during this time, doing remodel work locally. He was living with a friend in an apartment and decided to travel. At age 25, Cory moved to Costa Rica. Cory worked at a lodge as a tour guide, hiking in the jungle, snorkeling and transporting folks to and from the airport. He also cooked, cleaned, and did whatever was needed around the lodge. He eventually moved back to Gresham and went to work for MESD. Cory's mom was a speech and language pathologist and suggested that he should apply in 1999. Cory was hired and has been employed ever since. Cory was working at the Corbett School District with MESD the last three years. He is now employed directly with the Corbett School District and works at the Springdale CAPS. When not working, Cory continues to stay active with his two main passions- sports and music. He loves to play soccer, snowboard, skateboard, etc. He also is a part of a band- Born Cosmic. He sings, plays the piano, trumpet, drums and guitar. He loves playing at local venues. When Cody was 22 he found out that his birth parents were just 16 and 17 when he was born and they both were very athletic and musically inclined! The parents that raised him currently live in Arizona but are making plans to move to Sequim, WA. Both his siblings are married and he loves being an uncle to his two nephews.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Rodney Duncan was born in Seattle, WA. as the oldest of two boys born to his parents. Rodney's parents divorced when he was eight. At age ten, he moved to Goldendale, WA. with his mom and brother. His mom never remarried, but his father did and gave Rodney another brother and sister. Rodney was very active growing up in the small town of Goldendale. He was a three sport athlete all through high school, playing football, basketball and track. After high school graduation, Rodney went to Northwest University in Kirkland, WA. to play basketball. He says that this was not a good fit for him and he quit after the first year. In 1992, Rodney joined the US Navy and served until 1995. Next came a move to Miami, Florida to be a model and an actor. He was headed to Milan, Italy to be a runway model and as he was packing, he received word that his mom was in a very serious car accident. He went home to Goldendale to care for her, spending a year with her. At this time, he was able to meet his future wife, Tracy Haab. Tracy was walking across the U.S. for breast cancer awareness. They ended up falling in love and having two daughters. Eve was born in 1999 and Ginger in 2002. Both are currently attending Corbett High School. The family lives just across the street from the school. A short commute for the girls and Rodney! He is now the Food Service Manager for the Corbett School District. Rodney has been in the food service industry since 1999, starting as a cook at Gustav's restaurant in Portland. Rodney has been a sous chef, executive chef, general manager, recruiter and was involved in food development at restaurants that include Stanford's, Stone Cliff Inn and Bugatti's. In 2014 he quit the restaurant world, having burned out on the high demand and high stress restaurant business. Rodney then became a Paraeducator at the Corbett Grade School and loved being a part of the school community that reminded him of the small town he grew up in. In February 2016 Rodney was offered a position as the Food Service Manager for the school district. He said it is a perfect fit for him because he is able to get back to his passion of food preparation and yet the stress of the fast paced restaurant business is not there. He said he loves being around the children and getting to know them. He said the school reminds him of the Cheers bar where "Everyone knows your name." Priceless! He also is now back to his passion of sports as the Corbett High School Boy's JV Basketball Coach and the high school track coach.

Sunday, October 9, 2016

When Grace Kerslake entered the hospital to give birth to her first child, her young husband also entered the hospital for health concerns. Grace brought home her beautiful daughter, Claudia. Her husband never made it back home-he died in the hospital before getting to meet his child. Claudia Becker was raised by her mother- and her family. Together they moved in with Claudia's grandparents and uncle. Grace was a cook at the Springdale School and they had LOTS of extended family nearby to offer love and support. When Claudia was in 1st grade, "Papa" died and when she was in 8th grade, Grammy died. Grace and Claudia continued living in Springdale and Claudia fondly recalls growing up on a dairy farm with lots of farm animals and chores to keep her busy. Claudia says she remembers having a ball in her hands whenever she was not at school or doing chores. She bounced a ball against the wall in her home and shot hoops through a bent coat hanger on the back of her door. She later was given a secondhand metal hoop that she put up in her barn, spending hours bouncing the ball on the wooden floor boards and then practicing her shot. When Claudia was a senior in high school at Corbett, she and fellow classmates entered a Portland basketball league because there were NO high school sports available for girls at the time in Corbett. They won FIRST place! Just after Claudia graduated, she and her friend introduced their single parents to one another. Claudia's mom remarried and was able to finally stop working and enjoy being at home. She recently died at the age of 96 after enjoying many years with her many grandchildren. Claudia married Bob Becker when she was 21 years old. They will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary October 20, 2016! Together they had four daughters and now have 10 grandchildren. Before Claudia married, her cousin offered to pay her way to college so that she could study to become a PE teacher. Claudia declined the generous offer and took a job at Sears and Roebuck. She began in the gardening area and later moved to the billing dept. Over the years of raising her daughters with Bob, Claudia returned to one of her greatest loves- the BALL. She coached softball, soccer, volleyball and basketball for literally hundreds of kids over the years. All of her girls played multiple sports growing up. She met and loved many, many kids/students over nearly thirty years of coaching. At age 71, she is the groundskeeper for the Corbett School District, making certain all the fields are in excellent condition for playing ball! She says that her happiest days are when she is able to watch a ball game, of any type! Claudia said that as she rides the mower over the many fields, she smiles as she thinks back on all the kids she has been able to watch grow up and now they have families of their own that she is seeing play ball. WHAT a GIFT Claudia has been to our Corbett community!

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Jenny Layton is currently Corbett's new drama teacher for the high school as well as the Para educator for grade school teacher, Sis Childs. In her "free" time, she also is a volunteer as a Resident Director for the Corbett Performing Arts. She works closely with Dr. Katherine Zieman, giving kids in the community the opportunity for expression through drama. In 1992, Jenny was born in Corbett as the oldest of four children. Jenny has two sisters a brother, and her parents continue to live in the same home she was raised in. Her father was the Corbett Fire Chief for 17 years and her mom works for a local resident at his office. As Jenny was growing up, she dabbled in softball and piano up until 4th grade. At that point, she turned all of her energy toward Corbett Children's Theater, started by resident, Susan Scott. Jenny says she found her second family and was involved in nearly 30 productions through out her growing up years. Once she graduated from Corbett High School, Jenny headed to Linfield College. She admittedly had little to NO desire to attend, but applied at her parent's prompting and then accepted, simply due to the best/most scholarship money available. As life happens, Jenny ended up falling in LOVE with the college and especially the drama department. Four years later, she graduated with a Theater major and a minor in Psychology. After living on campus all four years, she was ready to continue her adventure and took an internship with a Tony award winning theater company in Princeton, New Jersey. Jenny stayed at the McCarter Theatre Company for one year and said she learned what type of theater she is NOT interested in! Jenny says the experience was very challenging. Coming back home after the experience, she went back to Silk Expresso coffee shop that is owned by Leah McMahon. Jenny had worked there throughout college, so felt comfortable being back. Not only was she a barista, but also helped Leah run the shop on the weekends. Jenny ran into Corbett Principal, Phil Pearson while she was doing her volunteer work as Resident Director for one of her plays. He asked if she was interested in teaching a drama class at Corbett High. She was thrilled to apply for the position. The school district also needed and wanted her to help out in the classroom with Mrs. Childs in the grade school. Jenny has known Sis since birth, so it was a great partnership to work together. Jenny is excited to see just what the future holds. Family and community are very important to her, yet she longs to further her education with a masters degree and possibly earn her doctorate. Right now she is just enjoying the wonderful life that she currently has!

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Joe Schneider was born in Spokane, Wash. in 1960. His father taught at Gonzaga Univ., and his parents raised four daughters and two sons. Joe was the third oldest, and the oldest son. His folks have been married more than 60 years and all his siblings are all currently living in the Northwest. Joe's mother came from a logging family and so Joe was introduced to Indian art from her side of the family while his father was a German immigrant and Joe was able to visit the country and learn about art from his father's country of origin. When Joe was in the first grade, his teacher passed out paints to the kids in the classroom. Joe decided to paint sunflowers, not thinking much of it. When he eventually brought the painting home, his parents immediately realized he had a gift. All six Schneider children were required to take piano lessons. When Joe was in the fourth grade, his folks allowed him to substitute art lessons for piano lessons. They hired an art professor from Gonzaga to give him lessons. Robert Gilmore provided classical art training and Joe will be forever grateful for the instruction he received. In high school, Barbara Eddy was another art instructor that made a huge impact on his life. After high school graduation, Joe attended Gonzaga Univ. and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts. He the stayed on another year and earned his teaching certificate. Joe met his first wife while at Gonzaga and they were married for seven years. They were both artists and went to New York together to explore the art opportunities available. Joe worked at a museum as an art handler. In Williamsburg, NY the couple lived in a "bombed out and desolate" neighborhood. It was very stressful living and the marriage ended. Joe ended up in East Village Manhattan. He saw developers moving in and corporations taking over. Joe decided to stretch his wings and "try new things." He went to school and became a massage therapist. He also decided to take up ballroom dancing. He met his wife Debbie while on the elevator to class! Joe now knows how to dance and has a beautiful wife! Debbie and Joe married in 1993 in NY. The rents kept rising, so they decided to move and started looking ALL over the U.S.! After crossing paths with Realtor, John Leamy, they were introduced to Corbett....and fell in love! They both loved nature and wanted to be a part of a great community. Joe started bus driving for the Gresham School District in addition to doing his art. He then made the switch to Corbett as soon as there was an opening, and has now been driving the bus for Corbett Schools for 13 years. He loves it!! Joe does not have children of his own, but says the Corbett kids are "his kids" and he truly enjoys the relationships that he has developed over the years with the many, many different students he has had ride the bus. Joe had adults encourage him as a youth and he wants to do the same for the kids on his bus route! He considers it a honor to be a driver and says his two most important bus rules are to 1. Be safe and 2. Be KIND.

Friday, September 9, 2016

Michaela McNairy was born in Bakersfield, CA. Her parents have been married nearly 30 years and have three daughters. Michaela is the middle child. Her oldest sister is just 13 months her senior, but her younger sister is five years her junior. Her father has worked for Costco for years, and has been transferred several times over the years. When Michaela was three years old, the family

moved to Boise, Idaho for five years. Then, Costco moved the family to Twin Falls, Idaho for five years. When Michaela was in 8th grade, the family transferred to Lake Oswego, OR. Michaela graduated from Lakeridge High School and then went to Humboldt State Univ.

for a year. It was here she contracted the Swine Flu, along with numerous other students. She then spent 1.5 years living at

home, attending Clackamas Community College. Her body needed this time to fully recover. Next came a year at the Univ. of Colorado in Boulder, then she finished up at Portland State University. Michaela majored in English with a minor in Writing. Michaela had been a three sport athlete all through high school and into college, running track at Humboldt and also at Clackamas, playing volleyball at Boulder. After earning her undergraduate degree, she went on to Portland State Univ. to earn her Master's degree in Education. This is currently Michaela's first year of teaching and she is teaching high school AP Language and Composition. Throughout her growing up years, Michaela has worked with kids. She has taught, coached and volunteered with youth in sports, camps and other capacities. She also spent several years working at Costco! Currently she lives in North Portland with her 3 cats and loves to read, hike, exercise and watch basketball. Her boyfriend works for the Blazers and plays in a rec league, so she enjoys watching his games. Her passion for sports has led her to be the Corbett Middle School Varsity Girl's Volleyball coach this year. Welcome, Michaela!

Monday, August 29, 2016

This will be an exciting new school year for both teacher Laura Sandgren and her CAPS intermediate students. She will be replacing Mr. Philips. Laura grew up in Oregon with her older sister and parents. She comes from a family of both artists and musicians. After Laura graduated from Barlow High School, she attended Western Oregon Univ. in Monmouth. She received her B.A. in Speech Communications and Business Administration. She then went on to earn her Masters degree at Portland State Univ. in Speech Communications with a focus on Advertising/Information Content and Intercultural Communications. In 2002, Laura earned her MAT (Master's in Teaching) from Concordia University. She then subbed in the Portland Metro Schools, teaching several blended classrooms from 3rd to 6th grade. Currently, Laura is involved in the classic film community and enjoys film studies. She also enjoys traveling, geocaching, reading, hiking, camping, star gazing, and volunteering. She is a regular volunteer at the Multnomah County Animal Shelter. She has two cats, named Triscuit and Thomas. She also has three Zebra Finches named Mr. Chubbs, Moon and Pie. The birds will actually be in her classroom this year. She wants all the students to have the opportunity to read to the birds. They will also assist with being the classroom zoologist! Laura is a strong believer that knowing about animals, arts and education is powerful for growth and opportunity. She wants to share all three with her students.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Tim Cooper was born in Portland, Oregon and has a sister who is three years younger. When he was nine, his folks divorced and he gained three stepbrothers with a remarriage. One of Tim's favorite memories of growing up was attending summer camps and Outdoor School. Not only attending himself, Tim became a leader for Outdoor School as he got older. He liked the structure of it, script to work off of and the lack of down time. He also enjoyed being around like-minded leaders who enjoyed being mentors for youth. Tim graduated from Benson High School in Portland, taking many engineering and drafting classes. For his first year of college, Tim headed to Arizona. "Not a good fit" says Tim! He was there to study Astronomy, but he did not like his major or the culture of the college. For his second year, he headed to Eastern Oregon Univ. in La Grande, Oregon. Success! He loved it and graduated three years later with majors in both Elementary Education and Geography. Soon after graduation, he met his wife, Annie. Both were working at Camp Namanu in Sandy as Outdoor School Directors. They dated three years, were engaged for a year, then married in August 2001. Tim substitute taught all over Multnomah County and also worked at Outdoor School after college graduation. In the Spring of 2000, he applied for a full-time teaching position at Corbett. He was hired as a middle school teacher and taught a 7th/8th grade blend for three years. Tim then moved to a 9th grade teaching position and has been "holding down the fort" for 13 years in that position. Annie is a middle school teacher at Reynolds Middle School and together they had son Ben in 2009 and daughter Grace in 2011. Their kids are currently students at Corbett and are involved in soccer, T-ball and dance. They love spending time with extended family and their cat- Alice Cooper! Tim says that working at Corbett has been a really great place to teach because he gets to focus on teaching and not a bunch of "extra sideline stuff." The last six years he has been able to teach geography, one of his passions. It seems obvious that Tim is living his best life!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Marian Berger was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and lived there from birth up to her college years! Born the youngest of three girls, her father passed when she was just 25 years old. Her father was an anesthesiologist and her mother volunteered 35 years at the Cincinnati Art Museum as a docent. Currently her mother and two older sisters are living in the San Francisco area. Growing up, Marian was focused on on performing arts. Ballet, modern jazz, choir and plays on stage were a big part of her life. Marian attended private schools and then applied at several colleges when the time arrived. Marian chose Harvard and said she really thrived at a school with so many like-minded students. She graduated with a major in English. After graduation, Marian stayed in Boston and worked for a year as an intern at a book publishing company. She then moved to New York and worked for a literary agency for 2.5 years. At the end of her time in NY, she began dating her boyfriend from college once again. She says he was very persistent! Rob was from Canada and worked in Chicago. Did Marian moved from NY to Chicago? No! She moved to China for a year and taught English. She loved the experience! Marian came back and then moved to Chicago to be near Rob. At this time, Marian went to Northwestern Univ. and earned her Master's of Science in Education and Social Policy. Rob then proposed and they married in Chicago and lived there until 2002. The two traveled and one of their trips was to Oregon. They both fell in love with the state. Harvard Alum Steve Tugwell was a teacher at Corbett and told Mariane about his experience of teaching there. Marian decided to apply! She met with Bob Dunton and was hired in Spring 2003 as a 9th grade teacher. After four years, she added AP English to her teaching schedule. In 2006, son Grant was born and in 2009 Max was born. Both boys currently attend Portland Public Schools. It is because of her family that she is choosing to take a break from teaching. Her sons are growing quickly, and she wants to be home and involved. She has loved her teaching experience in Corbett and feels it offers an education just as fabulous as any private school. Will she be back in a few years once the boys are grown? Maybe! :)

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Anthony Young was born in Los Angeles, CA. He lived with his parents and older brother and sister in Malibu until the age of five. His parents are still happily married and currently live on the Oregon Coast. Anthony's father worked for the EPA as a Marine Biologist and his mother was a Montessori Teacher/Director. As a young boy, Anthony says he was quite rambunctious! The family moved to New York when he was five, and then to Maryland when he was six. At age seven, the family settled in Newport, Oregon. It was here he graduated high school and met the love of his life. Anthony was a competitive athlete in both track and cross country. This was how he first met his wife, Rhiannon. They started dating after graduation. For college, Anthony attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland. He graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs. He minored in Art, with a focus on Painting. During his sophomore year of college, he did an exchange as a student, going to Sapporo, Japan for nearly four months. At the time, he had a strong grasp of the language, and had a fantastic experience there. He was able to get a greater understanding of himself and the American culture that he had been raised in. He especially loved the food in Japan! Throughout his time in college, he and Rhiannon continued to date and explore life together while she also attended school at a nearby college. Together they became best friends and felt that they were a team and were together to explore the great adventure of LIFE! On one of their trips, they both decided that being teachers would be an amazing experience. They then both attended the GTEP (Graduate Teaching Education Program) at Portland State University. Anthony and Rhiannon married in 2004. He subbed as a teacher his first year then was hired full-time in 2004 at Corbett High School. He taught Art and Modern US History. From Portland, they moved to Corbett in 2012. At the time they had two children, and since the move, have added two more! The TEAM has grown! Olivia is eight, Henri is six, Edwin is three and Amelie is just three months. After three years at Corbett, Anthony has since added AP Psychology and AP Art to his schedule of teaching at the high school. He feels that the TEAM of teachers and staff at Corbett are the BEST. They get along well and encourage one another to be at their peak as teachers. The goal for Anthony is for his students to have the confidence to see themselves as an artist and problem solve creatively as they express themselves artistically.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Meg Morales is the only child of retired teachers who raised her in both CA and OR. Born in Humboldt, CA, her parents divorced when she was four. Her mom lived in CA. and her father moved to a small town near Coos Bay, OR. She shared her time between the two. Meg was born with a severe hearing loss, and yet because both her parents played an active role in her life, she was able to overcome huge obstacles. Today she wears hearing aids in both ears, and yet feels that she is capable of doing anything! Meg graduated from Arata High School and was active in both theater and music. After graduation, she attended Humboldt State Univ. for four years. Her bachelor's degree is in Social Sciences with an emphasis on Education. While attending college, she worked as a receptionist for a local doctor. It was while she was in college that she also began dating her husband, nearly eight years older. They married in 1999 before she actually finished her degree. In 2003, daughter Isabella was born. In 2005, son Julian was born. The family now lives in Gresham. Meg chose to be a stay at home mom until 2009, then worked part-time as a Special Ed. Asst. at Lynchwood Elementary. After working from 2009-2015 at Lynchwood, she applied at Corbett. Her kids had been attending for three years, and she thought it would be great to work in the positive environment. Currently, Meg is a Paraeducator at the Corbett Grade School and loves the fact she gets to be a part of a staff that has a strong work ethic and is there to give their best to the students. Husband Joe recently went back to school and graduated from OHSU as a radiation therapist for cancer treatment. Both kids are involved in school, sports and additional activities, so Meg is never one to be bored!

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Tracy McCoy is a Paraeducator at the Corbett Grade School. She was born in Kelso, WA. as the youngest of eight children born to her parents. Kelso was a logging town and her father worked for Weyerhauser and her mom stayed at home with the children. When Tracy was just six years old, her father died of a heart attack. At that time, her mom had "just" three kids still at home, as Tracy was born eight years after her next oldest sibling. There were four girls and four boys. Tracy was always a very strong student, reading college level books in the 5th grade. She focused on academics growing up and graduated from Kelso High School, finishing in the top 5% of her class. After high school, she went on to community college in Longview, where she had an academic scholarship. After two years, she transferred to the Univ. of Oregon, majoring in Sociology. It was here she met her first husband. At this time she was also working nearly full-time at a hospital, speaking with folks that were under great stress as they tried to pay their bills and deal with a prognosis. Tracy's oldest sister lived in Gresham, so she married in 1987 and lived in Gresham while working at the Parry Center in Portland. Married for six years, she and her husband had both a daughter and son together. When they divorced, she wanted to stay at home with her children. Tracy took in foster children and worked with them from a home base. Fifteen children came through her home over the years! Usually one at a time. One son she kept. He came at age seven and is now almost 18. All three of her children are very close to one another. She remarried in 2000 to Kelly. They re-met at their 20 year high school reunion after knowing each other since kindergarten! Together they live in Gresham. Their youngest son will graduate from high school next year, their daughter will be getting married, and their older son will be attending OSU. The entire family is big sports fans! Tracy began in 2014 in Corbett as a sub and was hired in October 2015 full-time. She said she loves the small community and the close knot relationships of the staff.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Caryn was born in the northern part of Minnesota in a place called Hallock. When she was two, her family moved to the southern part of the state. Her older brother, younger sister and herself were raised to work hard because they lived in a small rural community where their father and mother both owned and ran several local newspapers. When she was not swimming in one of the many lakes nearby, Caryn was working for her parents, helping to edit, publish and distribute the daily news. Being very shy as a young girl, Caryn was heavily involved in FHA- Future Homemakers of America. She became a very accomplished seamstress and was in several fashion shows. Caryn also spent time playing volleyball and was involved with theatre as well. After high school, Caryn got a job in a sewing factory. Her main focus was to sew children's jackets. After this, she moved around a bit and held various jobs, including a job as a nanny. An offer was made on the family newspaper business and her parents accepted and sold it all. They wanted to move to Bend, Oregon to be with her father's mom and sister. Caryn helped with the move and then stayed for awhile, working at another sewing factory. After a few more jobs and two years in college, Caryn had met a man she loved and ended up marrying him after nine months. Caryn and Guy ended up moving to Minnesota. Later they moved to Texas so Guy could earn his Master's degree. From Texas they moved to Idaho and then on to Cascade Locks, Or. In 1980 daughter Hallie was born. In 1984, daughter Iris was born. Caryn worked as an Instructional Assistant at the Bonneville Schools before they closed the doors. In 1996, a brand new Corbett Grade School opened and Caryn transferred over from Bonneville. Last year in 2015, Caryn retired, but not really! She still continues to be an active substitute! Guy and Caryn have divorced and both daughters are working and living in the Portland area. No grand babies yet, but Caryn keeps very busy with sewing, gardening, painting, drawing, and playing several musical instruments. Over the years, Caryn has waitressed, sewed for a living, been a CNA, and held a variety of other jobs. One of her favorite jobs? Being in the Corbett Schools where she says she learns from the children as much as she teaches them!

Friday, May 20, 2016

Sam Wallace was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1976. Both sets of his grandparents were Baptist missionaries in the country. Sam's parents also had a daughter, Rhiana who is one and a half years younger than Sam. When Sam was three, his parents divorced and he moved to McMinville, Oregon with his mom and sister. Sam's mom graduated from Linfield College and had a lot of support and connections in the area. She was a school teacher and remarried when Sam was 10. His father moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands, and summers were spent in St. Croix with his dad and sister. His father eventually remarried and he has a half brother 13 years younger than himself. When Sam was growing up, he loved to play outdoors with friends. He played baseball and basketball in his youth and then played tennis all through high school. He was a strong student and loved academics. While in high school, he worked part time at a video store. He became fascinated with film. He went to Emerson College in Boston, MA. to study film. After a year and a half, he changed plans and moved to Portland to attend PSU. Sam lived off campus in a house with friends. One day while playing basketball at a nearby school, he got an inkling to ask if he could be a volunteer there. A new world opened up to him from this very positive experience, so he graduated PSU and then went on to their graduate program for teachers, the GTEP program. Graduate Teacher Education Program. Once finished, Sam started subbing as a teacher and got frustrated. He was looking to build relationships with students and it was not a good fit by just subbing. Sam went to South Korea for a year to teach English to Korean students. He learned a great deal but was anxious to return back to the states. After an 8 month sub position at Gilbert Heights Elementary, he was offered a full time position as a 5th grade teacher at Lincoln Park Elementary in the David Douglas School District. During this time he met his future wife, Marleen. She eventually began working at the Corbett School District and Sam was fascinated by her work environment! They married in 2013 and Sam eventually decided to also apply at Corbett. He was hired and began teaching in August 2014 as an intermediate teacher for grades 3,4,5 at the Corbett Grade School. He says this is his DREAM job and looks forward to coming to school each day. Sam and Marleen have traveled extensively to places such as Greece, Italy, Belize, NYC and plan to go to Japan when their 8 month old daughter gets a bit older. They have three dogs and currently live in NE Portland.

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Stacey Rogers was born in Houston,Texas. As long as she can remember, she has had a genuine love for children and travel. Stacey was adopted at birth and was raised as an only child. She was told at age five that she was adopted and has never had a desire to "find" her biological parents. Stacy's father was a pastor and her mom stayed at home until Stacey was in high school. Stacey was well loved and cared for and had an outgoing personality that gave her many friendships. She has traveled internationally and met children from all over the world. After graduating from high school in Texas, she went to Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. Stacey earned her bachelor's degree in International Community Development. She then started work on her Master's degree. Changing her plans, she went to work for an organization called Teen Mania. Teen Mania is a Christian organization that takes teens all over the world to help where most needed to assist others in living better lives. This is where she met the love of her life, Vance Rogers. They dated 1.5 years and married in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In Sept. 1995 they moved to Corbett so they could raise their family near Vance's family and enjoy the incredible beauty of the Gorge. Both Vance and Stacey have an enormous love for kids and traveling internationally. Their first daughter, MacKenna was born in 1998, and then they traveled to China in 2002 and picked up their daughter Emily. She was seven months old. Both are students at Corbett. Daughter Addi is from Ethiopia and was adopted in Nov. 2010 at the age of ten months. The Rogers family is now complete! Stacey has been a stay at home home from the beginning and just recently went from being a volunteer at the Corbett schools to being an employee of the district. In 2013 she applied as a sub and then became a full-time Paraeducator last year, working at the Corbett Middle School. Being a volunteer for so many years, she has come to love and appreciate the close knit community of the school staff and kids who attend. She finds it incredibally joyful to see students grow and learn in a safe and friendly environment. Stacey continues to have a passion for international travel and kids. During spring break she went with several folks from Corbett to Mexico to help assist local residents with better housing. She wants to pass on the legacy and love she has for this to her own children. Her oldest daughter will be traveling soon on her own missions trip to help others. As Stacey absorbs the vast and beautiful scenry of the Gorge from her front porch, she also knows and remembers that there is a huge and needy world waiting and needing to be cared for.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Ryan Greathouse was born and raised in Corbett. His parents raised him and his older sister here and they both graduated from Corbett High School. When Ryan was growing up, he loved hanging out with his friends and played football for Corbett when he was in middle school. His father, Allan has been a Corbett School District employee for 30 years! He oversees all the transportation with the buses and makes sure things are always running smoothly with both the buses and the drivers! Ryan's mom works at Home Depot in Troutdale. After graduation, Ryan attending the LEAP program at Parkrose High School for two years to help him "broaden his horizons." Currently he is working at Corbett, assisting with bus parking, crossing guard duty at the grade school and keeping the MPB swept and clean. In his off time, Ryan says he loves to play video games, mostly NFL football, with the Seahawks being his favorite team. Ryan also loves to travel and went to Cabo, Mexico with his family last year. Although his older sister is married and living in Gresham, he is not an uncle....yet! Right now Ryan is focused on helping the school district to run smoothly and be a support wherever needed. He loves the beauty and solitude of living in the community and wants the schools to remain strong and a friendly place to be.

Monday, April 25, 2016

Teri LaLonde was born in Portland, Oregon as the youngest of seven children born to her parents. Both parents have passed, but all the adult siblings are alive and well, with three living in Alaska and four in Oregon. Teri was very active growing up and loved more than anything to be in the great outdoors. During her school years she was involved as a cheerleader and also ran hurdles and relay dashes for the track team. Portland's Benson High School was where she attended and became very skilled at both sheet metal and anything electrical. After high school Teri worked as a receptionist at Cutler Hammer. She also attended both PSU and Mt. Hood Community College for a few classes. Teri ended up marrying her high school sweetheart, and they have just celebrated their 36th anniversary! Their daughter was born in 1981 and a son was born in 1984. Currently Teri lives in Gresham and she and her husband have two dogs, Shorty and Ramsey. Teri had been an aide for MESD since 2000. Dee Dee Hanes called her in 2015 and asked if she was interested in a position at CAPS in Springdale. Teri said yes, and has been there ever since, loving her position as a Paraeducator. She said there is a strong team feeling at the Springdale school and she appreciates the smallness of the K-8 school. As for free time, Teri most loves spending time with her family and going for walks.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Born in SE Portland, Lindsey Hensen and her younger sister were raised by both parents. Painfully shy until the age of 12, Lindsey walked down a model's runway, and her world changed, with her coming out of her shell. Lindsey played sofball for seven years as a youth and also played both the bass guitar and drums for her middle school jazz band. Lindsey graduated from David Douglas High School, and her parents still live in her childhood home. Her sister is now married and has her first child on the way. Lindsey attended Mt. Hood Community College after finishing up at David Douglas. She then transferred to Univ. of Oregon in Eugene and earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology. From there, she went on to Concordia Univ. to earn her Master of Arts degree in Teaching (MAT) in 2010. Along the way, she became more curious about education and just how the brain works in relation to how we each learn. Lindsey went on to the Univ. of Portland to earn her endorsement in Special Education. Opportunity to teach in Lincoln County opened up and she moved to Seal Rock, Oregon. The first year, Lindsey taught a 3rd grade classroom, the following year a 4th grade classroom, and then she worked in Toledo with Special Education her third year. Looking for a different experience, she applied for a Learning Specialist position in Corbett at the Springdale CAPS School. After speaking with Desiree Chiu, she was able to start her position at CAPS in Sept. 2015. Lindsey is delighted to have found a school, community and position that she is crazy about. She thinks it is an amazing environment both to teach and learn. She is currently living back in Portland, next door to her parents! She crossed paths with a friend from high school, and her and Carl have been dating 6.5 years. Both are avid readers, with Lindsey loving anything Fantasy. Another love is ballroom dancing! She is currently dancing 3x a week and is focused on the Cha Cha style of dance. Carl does not dance, but would rather go fishing! Lindsey says no matter, it works. :) They have a turtle and two dogs.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Jean King was born in Minnesota and lived on a 500 acre farm with her family. One of five children born to her parents, Jean was born fourth in line. When she was in the sixth grade, her parents divorced, and she moved into town with her mom and siblings. Her dad stayed on the farm and is still there today. They raised cattle, pigs and numerous crops. When Jean was a youngster, she played outdoors almost all the time, biking everywhere. She is very drawn to the water and grew up swimming, waterskiing and ice fishing! Jean was also an active softball player as a girl and has numerous fond memories of that. Just before her senior year in high school, her mom decided to move to Oregon to be near her older sister who would be attending OSU. Jean spent her final year of high school at Aloha High and graduated from there. After high school, Jean worked in a restaurant where she met and married a man whom she spent seven years with. They had no children. Later, Jean went to work for First Interstate Bank. She started as a processor and later became a loan officer. At the age of 30, Jean met and married a local man. Together they had a daughter, and then 21 months later, a son. Jean was a stay at home mom for several years, loving every moment of it. Her kids began school at the Phonics Factory in Gresham while they were living as a family in Sandy on a farm. In 2007, both kids moved over to the Corbett Schools. Her daughter Alexia was in 3rd grade and son Bradley was in 1st grade. Jean began volunteering extensively at the school, beginning as a MESD employee, working only at the Corbett Schools. Jean is now a Corbett Schools employee, working full-time at the high school in the SPED department. Recently divorced, Jean continues to live on their Sandy farm with the kids. She loves to work at the high school because it brings her joy to work with kids that appreciate working hard and then seeing the results of their efforts. She believes in them and they know it. When not with her own kids at their many sporting activities, she herself loves to play the piano, work on the Sandy farm, play softball or most any water sport, camp or snow ski. Jean is not one to sit still for any length of time!

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Tobi Ervin was born in Vancouver, WA. but moved around a great deal before settling in the Corbett area of Bridal Veil when she was in the 4th grade. Her parents divorced when she was in the 6th grade, but she continued to live in Bridal Veil with her three brothers and two sisters. Tobi was the oldest girl in the family. Her parents both remarried and she ended up with a total of eight brothers and seven sisters. Nine of the children were raised together. As a child, Tobi said says she was extremely shy and kept to herself most of the time. She often would go to a quiet place to read. Still to this day, she is an avid reader. Tobi says she was always a hard worker at home, and learned how to work on cars from an early age. A highlight of her youth was attending a church camp in high school at Vancouver Island. After graduating from Corbett High School, Tobi married Fred Ervin and was expecting their first son, Calvin. They went on to have another son, Antonio. The boys are both grown now and Tobi has four grandchildren. Fred and Tobi raised the boys in Latourell, and Fred passed after 12 years of marriage. Tobi decided to apply at the Corbett Schools 39 years ago as a bus driver. She thought it would be a great job, and she was right. Today she is driving the Donald Duck bus and continues to love driving the kids in the morning and afternoon as well as take kids to different schools and places for sporting events and also help out with field trips. On occassion she also does some filing in the MS/HS office to help out. She enjoys being a part of the staff and is willing to help out where and when needed. Currently Tobi is living in Springdale with her brother. When she has time off, she loves to fish! Her most amazing time on the water was when she and her neice caught a total of 27 trout! She taught herself how to fish and loves to always take a good book for when the fish are not biting! In the summer, she lives in Boardman and helps care for her mom. Tobi loves both children and Corbett, so is quite content with being able to spend most of the year in Corbett near both her adult kids, grandkids and her Corbett kids!

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

The oldest of three boys, John Paul (J.P.) Balbo was born in Camden, Michigan. He grew up on a lake in a small and rural farming community. All grade levels from K-12 attended school in the same building. J.P.'s parents are still married and live in the same home that he and his brothers grew up in! As a child, J.P. started playing sports as far back as he can remember. Although his favorite sport is soccer, he also golfed, ran cross country and played baseball. After graduating from high school, his parents encouraged him to attend college, and he enrolled at the local community college. He said he was not ready and did not like it. After one semester, he dropped out and went to work laying tile with his uncle. He also traveled with friends, camping in the Teton Mountains, the Finger Lakes area and many other gorgeous locations in the U.S. In 2009, J.P. felt "ready" to attend college and got "serious." He enrolled at Central Michigan University and graduated in four years with a Bachelor's degree in Social Studies and Elementary Education. J.P. played intramural sports all through school, but never got to have the "freshman dorm" experience since he started at an older student and went right into apartment living. He worked at golf courses for extra cash and met his current girlfriend along the way. Morgan graduated ahead of J.P. and went to work in Portland for Adidias. J.P. finished school, student taught for a semester in Michigan (5th grade) and then moved to Portland to be near Morgan. In Jan. 2014, J.P. taught at CLASS Academy in Portland , teaching a 4/5 blend. He was looking to teach in a community he felt was similar to the one he grew up in- small and rural. He applied to Corbett in May 2015 and was hired. Currently J.P. teaches a 6,7,8 blend at Corbett Middle School. Morgan is six years younger and they both live in Portland, loving the area. They have no animals, but are both avid outdoors people. They both love to camp, fly fish, golf, and snowboard. J.P. feels very comfortable and happy in Corbett with his classroom students. He says they work together to learn and it is a very enjoyable atmosphere to be in for both himself and the students. J.P.'s mother taught for over 30 years, and feels that the "key" is having fun along the way- "If kids are having fun, they WILL learn."

Friday, February 5, 2016

Having grown up in the heart of the Silicon Valley, Abby Steichen's father was a CPA and her mom stayed at home. She and her older brother grew up in a home that her parents still live in after 44 years of marriage! Abby played both the oboe and the flute while growing up. She also loved to read, be a part of Girl Scouts and travel. After high school graduation in 2002, Abby went to the Univ. of Oregon to study Journalism, but switched to Sociology and graduated in just three years! Immediately after earning her degree, she moved to Portland. She began working at See's Candy Shop (she also worked for them during high school) and then she began working at a day care center. It was there that she realized her desire to be a teacher. She "couch surfed" through Europe with a girlfriend for two months before starting grad school. In 2006, Abby began at PSU and earned her MED "Masters in Education" in two years. It was at this time she struck up a conversation with another student about her trip to Iceland. Tom had also been, and after dating, they married in 2009. It was also in 2009 that Abby was hired at Corbett after substituting for a year in the Portland Public Schools. Abby taught a 4/5 split for three years at Corbett Grade School, and then CAPS opened. She was quite excited for the opportunity to work there, so she made the move and now teaches a blend of 3, 4. 5. Tom and Abby have three daughters and they also love to travel. Last summer they went to 11 states on a road trip! They also journeyed to both Maui, Hawaii and Tulum, Mexico and the surrounding area. This year her family will try to visit as many National Parks as possible! They also set a goal this year to hike a total of at least 300 miles. They hiked 22 miles in January, despite the cold and rain! Abby is a very busy wife, mother and teacher, but loves to read when she can find a free moment. She is one to fully embrace life and create as many memories as possible for her kids at home as well as in the classroom.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Lori Luna grew up in the Park Rose area of Portland. She was adopted at birth. A few years later her parents adopted another child, Scott. The home Lori grew up in was built by her dad in 1949, and although he has passed, her mom at age 88 is still in the home! Lori says she was outgoing as a child and yet became shy in middle school. Although she was quiet, she says was was a real jokester! She played sports, sang in the choir and loved to read. In high school, she read books cover to cover in one setting! After graduating from Park Rose High School, she attended Mt. Hood Community College and then Portland State for a short while. Lori thought a better education might be backpacking through Europe with a girlfriend, so she did! For nearly five months, she and friend Marci traveled all through Southern Europe. Looking back, Lori believes it was a life changing experience- very empowering and educational. She was able to spend her 21st birthday in Spain! When Lori returned home, she worked at B Dalton bookstore and then at the Migrant Head Start Program. It was at this time that she decided to marry her best friend from high school. Joe Luna had joined the Marines after high school and they had stayed in touch via letter writing. Joe and Lori married in Portland in 1986. Together they moved to CA to live in Marine Corp housing (in the middle of nowhere!) Daughter Antonia was born in 1988, just six weeks after Joe finished up with the Marines. Twin sons Gabe and Ben were born just 20 months later! Surprise! They had bought a two bedroom 720 sq. ft. home and now were going to have three kids, two adults and two dogs living in the home. :) They lived there six years. In 1995, Joe and Lori built a beautiful home on acreage in Corbett that had belonged to Lori's parents. Joe, Lori's dad and uncles all worked together to create and build their current home. After being a stay at home mom, Lori went back to school in 1996 to finish both her Associate's and then Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Her first teaching job in 1999 was in the Oregon Trail School District. The following year she applied at Corbett and was hired as a middle school teacher. During this time, the middle school went through a major change, moving to a project oriented style of learning with combined grade levels in the classrooms. At this time Lori went back to school to earn her Masters of Education (MED). She later earned her Initial Administrative License. She also went on to study in Mexico, finishing her coursework for a Masters of Teaching Spanish. In Dec. 2015 at Concordia University, she finished her Continuing Administrative License. After teaching middle school for nine years, she became a 9th grade teacher while also being an assistant Principal with Mr. Phillips and Mr. Jaques. The following year she taught Spanish part time and was a part time principal. In the Fall of 2012 the district opened up the CAPS School at Springdale. Lori is the principal, but also teaches math and spanish! Lori is now the grandmother for Antonio's son, Enzo. Her twin sons are both living and working in Portland. Joe is a brick layer and is currently building the retaining wall on Hwy. 101. Lori is passionate about cooking and loves to entertain with all her new and different recipes that she tries. Joe and Lori have a second home in Mexico and she loves to visit as much as possible. Each year Lori brings her 8th grade students to Mexico for a week to attend school and experience the culture. Lori is truly living out her dream life - both in Mexico and Corbett!

Friday, January 1, 2016

Jenny "Mrs. Rad" Radulesk teaches ninth grade Core and that includes AP Human Geography, ninth grade English and ninth grade Health. Mrs. Rad and Mr. Cooper together teach all of the ninth grade students, each for three hours at a time, having a morning group and then a different afternoon group. (A total of four groups of ninth grade students). Originally, Jenny was hired as the Culinary Arts Teacher and worked out of the kitchen for five years. She loves the change and being in her own classroom with desks instead of ovens! She feels she has found her niche by helping ninth graders transition to high school, and all the expectations that come with that. Jenny was born in Bellevue, Wash. and raised there until leaving for college. She was surrounded by extended family that lived in the Seattle area. As a child, Jenny was very outgoing, but only with her close friends and family. At school she was a bit shy, now giving her a soft spot for her own shy students. She was on a gymnastics team for a total of 15 years, practicing 5x/week, 4 hours a day. When she reached high school, she cut back on gymnastics and added springboard diving and cheerleading to the mix, for variation and balance. When college time rolled around, she chose NOT to follow friends to Univ. of Wash., but instead became a Duck at U of O! She said it was a huge leap of faith but she was up for trying something different. She majored in Anthropology and also focused on Business and Geography. She claims these four years as some of her very BEST, becoming a HUGE Duck fan along the way. It was here she fell in love with learning and made life long friends. After graduation she went to New Zealand on her own. Again, wanting to try something new and different. She tried her hand at sky diving and bungee jumping while circling the islands twice to check out all of the beauty. Jenny was there for a total of six months and worked at a hotel buffet to pay the bills. It was here she decided to become a teacher. She wrote all her strengths on a piece of paper and then had an "Ah ha" moment. She came back to the states and immediately enrolled in grad school at George Fox University. In 1.5 years she earned her "MAT," a Masters of Arts in Teaching. She also received endorsements in Health and Family as well as Consumer Sciences. While in grad school she decided to try something different and started taking golf lessons. Her golf instructor turned out to be more than just a good golfer. She and Kyle started dating and he proposed her first year of teaching! She went to the education fair just prior to graduation and met Mr. Dunton and Mr. Trani. Once she secured an interview, she arrived an hour early because she was not sure of just where Corbett was, and did not want to be late! Although her commute is a full hour each way, she says her heart to continues to be at Corbett and she just loves the small community feel at the school. Kyle and Jenny welcomed daughter Henley into the world six months ago. Jenny admits having a baby has been a great and wonderful experience, but it is a game changer, for sure! World travel and activities such as snow skiing are currently on hold for a bit. No worries, she and Kyle enjoy spending as much as eight hours each weekend watching football together on TV. Her dream? Traveling with him to games all over the country!

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About Me

Michelle Carter Smith
Corbett, Oregon, United States

This site will be ALL about the people, activities and real estate of CORBETT, Oregon... one of the very finest places to live and breathe. Anytime you want to comment, please call me at #971-221-9655.